Too be completely honest when I first heard of High Tech High and the way they structure their curriculum I thought it was a recipe for disaster-but after finishing the documentary I realized I may have been too quick to judge

At High Tech high there is not block/subject style schedule. Teachers have the ability to teach subjects that they are passionate about in a method that best works for them and for their students. Through doing this I think it allows students to work alongside teachers and mentors who are motivated to teach well and who actually want to be there, which will lead to a more positive environment.

For the Students it means more freedom and space to explore their own creative aspirations. In the documentary it shows some of the projects students have done including a moving wooden display capsulating historic events as well as students acting and directing their own plays displaying other historic moments. This is possible because of the time and support given to students at the school which in most other schools, just isn’t possible.

Another benefit for students is the ability to learn valuable life skills instead of just academic skills. High Tech High teaches communication through allowing students to teach each other and have class discussions rather than just having a teacher-student lecture. They encourage students to work together rather then individually because it real life you will have to work with others it might even be a requirement of your job!

The only concern I have with this method if teaching is how little “curriculum” students are getting. While they have done what seems to be an exceptional job integrating hands on learning they seem to lack the actual subject matter. In a structure like this will students learn their geography? Will they be able to complete math algorithms possibly needed down the road? Will they learn basic grammar skills needed to create academic papers, work forms, and more?

Besides that bit of concern, I do think that High Tech High is an efficient school that still provides a good education for their students. Like all schools, it still can be approved and I think some adaptions could be made but I think that if the schools we have here in BC could find a middle ground between what’s currently being taught, and the style of High Tech High, we could create a well rounded education for more students.